But in these cases, the students and their families say the schools ignored the law, even in one case laughing at their requests for help.

Fourteen-year-old J.K. of New Brighton spends most of his day in his bedroom, sleeping.

J.K. should be attending New Brighton High School, but now he is suing the school district.

In the lawsuit, his family kept him anonymous, and relatives asked WTAE not to reveal his identity to protect him from retaliation.

After J.K. suffered two sports-related concussions last year, his doctor at the UPMC Concussion Center recommended the school give him accommodations, including extra time for testing, less homework and more breaks.

“It just turned into a battle,” J.K.’s mother said.

She said the school district agreed to virtually none of the family's requests. District officials would not even let J.K. eat lunch by himself to avoid the noisy cafeteria.

“The principal laughed in my face. That had to hurt the worst,” said the boy's mother.

So the doctor recommended homebound education. Under state law, that means a teacher must spend at least five hours a week teaching J.K. at home.

“They knew he was going on homebound but they didn't send a teacher to teach him for the first month and a half of school,” J.K.’s mother said.

Even worse, the school district sent a letter threatening to file truancy charges against J.K.'s mother.

"It's hard to watch my son who deserves an education and deserves to be in school, he doesn't want to be sitting at home,” she said.

In desperation, she turned to attorney Justin Steele, who filed a lawsuit against the district.

“We believe the law requires the district to accommodate our client based on the advice of his doctors, and they have refused to do so completely,” Steele said.

New Brighton school officials, citing the pending lawsuit, declined any comment.

Earlier this month, the Highlands School District settled a lawsuit filed by former student Zachary Alt, who suffered multiple concussions playing football. Just like J.K., Alt says the school district failed to make adequate accommodations. But Alt's case had a different wrinkle.

From his sophomore to senior years, Alt was late or absent for two-thirds of his classes.

“And yet the school not only passed him, but his grades continued to rise every year while he attended the school,” said his attorney, Robert Peirce. “He had teachers who would write papers for him and other students just so they could pass and that clearly is wrong.”

The case settled for $20,000, money Alt will use to continue his education.

“And more importantly for the Alt family, we believe this case has changed the protocol within schools,” Peirce said.

Highlands school district solicitor Ira Weiss said: "We felt that the position of (the) district was well stated and sound and we believe the settlement was a good resolution from the district's perspective."

Weiss says Highlands and other school districts have improved their procedures for educating kids with concussions.

But Brenda Eagan Brown of the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania says many school officials fail to understand the devastating impact of concussions.

“Many times what we hear in our program is, 'He looks fine, what do you mean he has a brain injury?' Or, 'She's faking it to get out of school work,'" Brown said.

Brains damaged by concussions need more rest than most of us may realize, but Brown said students should not be forced to spend months at home.

“There's some depression that can set in, anxiety. We see their friendships start to dissipate and this is very concerning for us,” she said.

J.K.'s mother knows all about that.

“He used to be real happy. He used to be a different kid than he is now,” she said.

The Butler school district is also being sued by a former student who says the district ignored his pleas for help after he suffered multiple concussions. The district denies the allegations.

SCHOOL DISTRICT. PAUL VAN OSDOL IS LIVE WITH THE STORY. TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Reporter: FEDERAL SCHOOLS MAKE ACCOM DLGZ FOR STUDENTS WHO SUFFER BRAIN INJURIES. BUT IN THESE CASES THE FAMILIES SAY THE SCHOOLS IGNORED THE LAW, EVEN IN ONE CASE LAUGHING AT THEIR REQUEST FOR HELP. THIS IS HOW 14-YEAR-OLD JAY KAY OF NEW BRIGHTEN SPENDS MOST OF HIS DAY. IN HIS BEDROOM. SLEEPING. HE SHOULD BE ATTENDING NEW BRIGHTEN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT NOW HE IS SUING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. IN THE LAWSUIT, HIS FAMILY KEPT HIM ANONYMOUS WHEN THEY ASKED WTAE NOT TO REVEAL HIS IDENTITY TO PROTECT HIM. AFTER HE SUFFERED TWO SPORTS-RELATED CONCUSSIONS LAST YEAR HIS DOCTOR RECOMMENDED THE SCHOOL GIVE HIM ACCOMMODATIONS, INCLUDING EXTRA TIME FOR TESTING, LESS HOMEWORK AND MORE BREAKS. AND IT JUST TURNED INTO A BATTLE. Reporter: HIS MOTHER SAYS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AGREED TO VIRTUALLY NONE OF THEIR REQUESTS. THEY WOULD NOT EVEN LET HIM EAT LUNCH BY HIMSELF TO AVOID THE NOISY CAFTERIA. THE PRINCIPAL LAUGHED IN MY FACE. THAT HAD TO HURT THE WORST. Reporter: HOMEBOUND EDUCATION. THAT MEANS A TEACHER SPENDING FIVE HOURS A WEEK TEACHING J.K. AT HOME. THEY DIDN'T SEND A TEACHER TO TEACH HIM FOR THE FIRST MONTH AND A HALF OF SCHOOL. Reporter: EVEN WORSE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SENT THIS LETTER THREATENING TO FILE TRUANCY CHARGES AGAINST J.K.'S MOTHER. IT'S HARD TO WATCH MY SON WHO DESERVES THE EDUCATION AND DESERVES TO BE IN SCHOOL. HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE SITTING AT HOME. Reporter: IN DESPERATION SHE TURNED TO STEELE WHO FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE DISTRICT. WE BELIEVE THE LAW REQUIRES THE DISTRICT TO ACCOMMODATE OUR CLIENT, BASED ON THE ADVICE OF HIS DOCTORS AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO SO COMPLETELY. Reporter: NEW BRIGHTEN SCHOOL OFFICIALS CITING THE PENDING LAWSUIT DECLINED ANY COMMENT. EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE HIGHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT SETTLED THIS LAWSUIT FILED BY FORMER STUDENT ZACHARY ALT WHO SUFFERED MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL. JUST LIKE J.K., ALTSAYS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FAILED TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS BUT ALT'S CASE HAD A DIFFERENT WRINKLE. FROM HIS SOPHOMORE TO SENIOR YEARS HE WAS LATER ABSENT FOR TWO-THIRDS OF HIS CLASSES. YET, THE SCHOOL NOT ONLY PASSED HIM, BUT HIS GRADES CONTINUED TO RISE EVERY YEAR HE ATTENDED THE SCHOOL. TEACHERS WOULD WRITE PAEPERS FOR HIM AND OTHER STUDENTS SO THEY COULD PASS. THAT CLEARLY IS WRONG. Reporter: THE CASE SETTLED FOR $20,000. MONEY HE WILL USE TO CONTINUE HIS EDUCATION. MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE BELIEVE THIS CASE HAS CHANGED THE PROTOCOL WITHIN SCHOOLS. Reporter: THE BRAIN INJURIES ASSOCIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA SAYS MANY SCHOOL OFFICIALS FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF CONCUSSIONS. MANY TIMES WHAT WE HEAR IN OUR PROGRAM IS HE LOOKS FINE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE HAS A BRAIN INJURY? OR HE'S FAKING IT TO GET OUT OF DOING SCHOOL WORK. Reporter: BRAINS DAMAGED BY CONCUSSIONS NEED MORE REST THAN MOST OF US COULD REALIZE BUT STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE FORCED TO SPEND MONTHS AT HOME. THERE'S SOME DEPRESSION THAT CAN SET IN, ANXIETY, WE SEE THEIR FRIENDSHIPS START TO DISSIPATE. AND THIS IS VERY CONCERNING FOR US. Reporter: J.K.'S MOTHER KNOWS ALL ABOUT THAT. HE USED TO BE REAL HAPPY AND USED TO BE A DIFFERENT KID THAN HE IS NOW. Reporter: THE BUTLER SCHOOL DISTRICT IS ALSO BEING SUED BY A FORMER STUDENT WHO SAYS THE DISTRICT IGNORED HIS PLEAS FOR HELP AFTER HE SUFFERED MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS. THE DISTRICT DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS. NOW, AS FOR THE ZACHARY ALT CASE, HIGHLAND SCHOOL SOLICITOR TELLS ME, "WE FELT THAT THE POSITION OF THE DISTRICT WAS WELL STATED AND SOUND AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE SETTLEMENT WAS A GOOD RESOLUTION FROM THE DISTRICT'S PERSPECTIVE. HIGHLAND AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE IMPROVED THEIR